Smith says Canelo didn’t want to fight him

The days are counting down to who Canelo Alvarez will officially fight next on May 2nd but one name you can rule WBA Super Middleweight Champion Callum Smith.

Smith (27-0,9 KOs) opened up about the process to Sky Sports and stated that Canelo and Golden Boy Promotions never truly wanted to take on the undefeated Liverpool champion.

“They made me an offer which I believe was too low. I said no. Billy Joe (Saunders) said no to the same offer,” Smith said to Sky Sports.

At this point, the world’s worst secret is that Alvarez will be taking on WBO Super Middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders but earlier in the month both parties had turned down offers that were initially given to them as they seemed too low.

"I don’t think they ever really wanted me anyway. They were just covering their own backs"

— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) March 8, 2020

It’s a process that seems to be the negotiations process for taking on Canelo as his last opponent Sergey Kovalev had the same issue. This of course being because Canelo who signed a massive deal to fight exclusively on DAZN is only going to have fighters looking for career high paydays to take him on.

The offers that both Smith and Saunders rejected earlier this month did prompt the great line from Golden Boy CEO Oscar De La Hoya in response.

“He’s an idiot,” De La Hoya said to ESPN. “Callum Smith is a good fighter and has an amazing shot of beating Canelo and he turns it down?”

Smith thought while he turned down the first offer, there would be a chance to talk and haggle for a second. In the end, that wasn’t the case.

“I thought we’d start negotiating and we’d have some back-and-forth,” Smith stated. But that was it. He made one offer then went to social media saying that I didn’t want the fight.

Smith in the end thinks they were just covering their backs.

“I’m disappointed. It wasn’t a fight I ever believed that I’d get but, to get an official offer, you start thinking of ways to beat him.

It was a fight I wanted but good luck to Billy Joe,” Smith said.

The covering may be the case as Caleb Plant came out and said something to a similar tone last week who also rejected an offer to face Canelo after his victory against Vincent Feignbutz. While Smith isn’t up against Canelo, we’ll see who he challenges next.